The Los Angeles Lakers are entering the Jimmy Butler 2015 offseason sweepstakes; there's only one problem with their position.
A Jimmy Butler 2015 offseason sweepstakes may not exist.
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Realgm.com is reporting that Butler, who will be a free agent after the season, could garner several offers from teams hoping to lure him away from the Chicago Bulls.
Outside of Chicago, teams are already preparing possible maximum-salary offer sheets for Butler in free agency, including the Los Angeles Lakers as one of several expected suitors, league sources told RealGM. Even Butler's college area connection, the Milwaukee Bucks, will have cap space in July. Around the league, there's a question: How will Chicago handle the inevitable max out of a star player not named Rose?"
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But probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com already has reported that Butler has expressed his desire to stay in Chicago and that the Bulls are prepared to offer him a max contract.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, the Lakers were a franchise that had a legitimate chance to lure a big-name free agent to join a franchise that was a perennial contender for an NBA championship. Now, when the Lakers offer a max deal to a free agent, their move is perceived to be a ploy.
For their sake, I hope the Lakers have a backup plan," another probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com reported. "Butler wants to stay in Chicago, and the Bulls want to keep him. Something could go wrong if he were an unrestricted free agent, but because he's restricted, it's nearly impossible to see him getting away.
"If the Lakers sign him to an offer sheet, they'd almost certainly just be tying up their cap space for a few days until the Bulls match - all while other free agents sign elsewhere.
"There have been numerous reports of trades the Lakers tried to make or players they'll try to add. It seems they're trying to satisfy a disgruntled fan base by leaking these grand plans. But at a certain point, they have to actually add talent rather than just talk about it."
A disgruntled Lakers fan base wouldn't be satisfied until the free agents actually sign with the Lakers, which they have not done since Dwight Howard exited to the Houston Rockets after just one season in Los Angeles.
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